comfortable-being-a-fundraiser ?

Copyright (C) 1990-2012 Development Systems International, LLC. COMFORTABLE BEING A FUNDRAISER - Pg. 1 Unauthorized Reproduction is Prohibited

Dear Family,

I hope you’ll read this following note slowly and allow it to affect you. Your consideration of what I’m about to share could change you and bring you into a place of great leadership within our industry becoming the person our movement so desperately needs.

Like you, I’m privileged to receive calls from friends who reach out to “check in” and see how I’m doing. I’m always moved by a person who takes their personal time to let me know they care. I’m not sure that there’s a greater gift in life than those moments when someone selflessly celebrates another. From time-to-time, I pay them the highest honor I know. My response to their kindness goes something like this,

“John…thanks pal…you’re such a good development officer”

Unfortunately, all too often John or others reply,

“Jimmy, I’m not doing development…I’m calling to let you know I love you.”

It makes me wince. You see, the implication is that attached to development is something nefarious. I suppose, what’s ultimately being called into question, is “motive”.

A wise man once shared with me the following the axiom.

“The only difference between a good business man and a good con man is…INTENT.”

Unless you ground yourself in the truth of who you are you’ll perceive donor cultivation as method, as sales, as moves management, or even worse...MANIPULATION…

…When nothing could be further than the truth.

If you’re reading this…you’re my hero…you get up every day and give your life to a cause that is greater than yourself. None of this would be possible without leaders like you who have discovered…

“THE HIGH-CALL OF BEING A FUNDRAISER”

So please take a minute to allow me to share with you the truths I’ve internalized over the years that released me into my vocation. Thanks for hearing my heart on this.

Your Friend in All This,

What Do You Believe About Yourself?

“Development is… …finding a need and meeting it.

…making a promise and keeping it.”

James P. LaRose, CFRE, CNC


THIS IS WHY WE DO IT…

“Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.”

- Hank Rosso

"Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world;

indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

“There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life --

happiness, freedom, and peace of mind -- are always attained by giving them to someone else.”

- Peyton March

“Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you.”

- Andre Gide

“We must be careful as we administer this generous gift… …for the glory of the Lord”

- Paul the Apostle

“As a fundraiser the call on my life is to divest people of their wealth. For it is always in one’s best interest to give their self away.”

- Jimmy LaRose

“Never apologize for boldly inviting a person to… … give to a cause that is greater than themselves.”

- Jimmy LaRose

“The river of philanthropy is deep & wide...and there will always be generous people who will amply support a great dream when backed by a sound plan.”

- Jimmy LaRose


So…

…if you now believe that everything we do as fundraisers is right and true, are you willing to consider what you really have to do to succeed both personally and professionally?

The NEXT FEW PAGES could change everything you believe about the raising of money.

What you first experience may seem familiar BUT IT’S NOT…what you’ll encounter is special and contains the answers you need to…

…Retool a Gift Program That’s in Place …Launch the Right Campaign Correctly …Start a Funding Program From Scratch …Re-start a Campaign That’s Stalled

After you’ve taken a look… if you decide you want to talk…give me a call and we’ll find out what good we can do together.


NONPROFITS WHO IMPLEMENT MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP:

…START …funding programs from scratch that work and raise money

…RETOOL …funding programs for success that are already in place

…LAUNCH …new campaigns that are completed on time and over goal

…REVITALIZE …stalled campaigns that are about to fail

HOW IS MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP DIFFERENT?

…PHILOSOPHY …based on donors being your nonprofit’s primary customer

…REORDER …traditional fundraising exercises are implemented differently

…METHOD …specific tasks supercharge short & long-term revenues

…DELIVERY …model is implemented in a way that defies industry convention

…TECHNOLOGY …uses 21st century communication infrastructure

…SCALABLE …same method, tasks, and execution scaled to meet your needs

…COMPREHENSIVE …integrates all funding streams using organizational development

…COST …use external fundraising counsel at 1/10th of the cost

…DESIGNERS …proven by veterans who’ve started nonprofits from scratch

WHO HAS MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP BEEN DESIGNED FOR?

…MEGA …the $100 Million dollar shop

…LARGE …the multi-million dollar shop with multiple field reps

…MEDIUM …the million dollar shop with some development staff

…SMALL …the small nonprofit with no development staff

…NOT YET …the person or group who hasn’t yet secured their 501c3 Status

…ALL …any person, group, or organization that relies on philanthropy

How to Launch, Build or Retool Your Nonprofit Fundraising Platform


HOW FUNDRAISING SUCCESS IS MEASURED: How does one measure the success of MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP? It doesn’t matter if your launching an Operations, Capital, or Endowment campaign you still must define, in advance, what quantifiable metrics will be used to determine if your fundraising goals have truly been achieved. Here’s how the users of MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP measure success.

MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP ensures that fundraising campaigns…

1. …come in OVER GOAL 2. …are completed ON SCHEDULE 3. …are executed UNDER BUDGET 4. ...result in HAPPY VOLUNTEERS 5. …produce GRATEFUL DONORS 6. …promote COMMUNITY PRIDE

The unusual success of Major Gifts Ramp-Up is made possible because it’s different. It’s so different that it will change the entire culture of your organization. Here are the eight reasons MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP has distinguished itself in the fundraising industry.

1. PHILOSOPHY… First, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP is based on a PHILOSOPHY that turns everything upside down and inside out. Let’s suppose for a moment that you run a food and clothing bank. Convention would say that your primary customer is a person who is hungry and your mission is to provide them nutrition. How would your philosophy of management, operations, and fundraising change if the mission of your food bank went something like this:

“Heart of Hope Food Bank exists to provide community volunteers, advocates, and donors the organization they need to provide food and clothing to the homeless, hurting, and hungry.”

This mission statement makes THE DONOR YOUR PRIMARY CUSTOMER…NOT the person who is at risk. Therefore, everything within your management culture changes when you base your mission on meeting the needs of the volunteers, advocates, and donors your organization now exists to serve. What’s the outcome? Exponentially MORE people receive the food, clothing, and services they so desperately need.


2. REORDERING…

Second, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP is based on a REORDERING of many of fundraising’s basic principles. Some of the exercises may look the same but are implemented…

…in a different order …in a different way …for different reasons

These differences consider generational trends, economic changes, communication models, and the overuse and abuse of certain fundraising methods that nonprofits have relied on for decades. This has required a retooling of the process that considers the needs of the donor before the needs of the institution.

3. METHODOLOGY…

Third, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP introduces new METHODOLOGY made possible by a wealth of information now available in the digital age that has not been considered or used properly in traditional fundraising models. MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP creatively brings new donors into your universe who self-qualify their interest in a manner that avoids arm-twisting. Nonprofits are at least seven to ten years behind the corporate sector in implementing these game-changing resources that make the raising of money more effective than ever.

4. DELIVERY…

Fourth, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP as a product is DELIVERED to a nonprofit by a third party in a way that defies industry convention. For decades fundraising consulting firms provided what is commonly known as “residential counsel”. This model actually relocated a consultant to the

nonprofits geographical location to run the campaign on a day-to-day basis. Only the mega-shops could previously afford this service. Now, in a modern day economy, even the large nonprofits can’t hire-in resident counsel. As a result the consulting industry has turned to what is now referred to as “management counsel” which is delivered by coming onsite on a monthly basis for an indeterminate time period. MAJOR GIFTS-RAMP-UP is based on a different type of delivery system…

…not RESIDENTIAL COUNSEL…not MANAGEMENT COUNSEL …but rather it’s based on…TRAINING

“Give a man a fish he eats for a day… …Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime”

Chinese Proverb


The comprehensive nature of MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP’s training system makes available to nonprofits for the first time the same product lines that previously only multi-million dollar organizations could afford. All the secrets, tools, and resources that consultants would charge hundreds of thousands of dollars for are now revealed, developed, and made available as a low-priced commodity instead of a high-priced niche service item. MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP has been designed in a way that allows a nonprofit to internalize this structure through training and resource systems that can be maintained by the organization in perpetuity.

5. TECHNOLOGY…

Fifth, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP uses 21st century TECHNOLOGY not only in its delivery of the MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP system but uses new technology in the fundraising process as well. First, the model considers the use of the web, email, text, and social networking as part of donor communications. Second, information sets and wealth data that never existed are now used in the cultivation process. Finally, cloud technology is used to provide the nonprofit over 10,000 pages of documents, samples, resources, videos, and audios used in the training process.

6. SCALABILITY…

Sixth, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP can be SCALED to fit your needs. It doesn’t matter whether you have no staff or a team of one hundred, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP works for everyone. It’s been used by the “Mom & Pop” to start their first nonprofit as well as the Mega-Shop that needed to increase their fundraising goal. The principles and methods used to achieve fundraising success are implemented on a time-horizon that considers the existing size and scope of both your financial and human resource.

7. COST…

Seventh, because MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP is based on a training model, COST is dramatically reduced. This is because “residential” or “management” fees have been eliminated. Existing communication technologies allow for the model to be implemented while reducing the high cost of airfare and travel. Nonprofits can finally secure the same services the big shops do at a fraction of the cost.


8. DESIGNERS… Finally, MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP has been DESIGNED by a group of veterans who’ve had the experience of starting nonprofits from the ground up. The vast majority of consultants started their careers at an established nonprofit and developed their craft by cultivating relationships with existing supporters. They may have learned the art of direct mail, the intricacies of planned giving, the correct way to solicit foundations, how to host a special event, even how to execute a successful capital campaign but have never experienced the crucible of starting from scratch. They have never internalized the convictions and skills that come from building an organization from the ground up. Creating something from nothing with only duct tape and spit changes you. It changes everything you believe about the raising of money.

CONCLUSION:

MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP is unique. It provides every professional with a skill set that originates new champions from scratch. If you’re a veteran you’ll supercharge your existing program by implementing new systems that are proven to provide great increase. If you’re just starting, you’ll have the privilege of achieving YOUR GREAT DREAM because you’re implementing a sound plan that really raises money. MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP ensures you reach both your fundraising goals and achieve personal success.

MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP…THE STEPS

#1 MANAGMENT PHILOSOPHY #2 MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP OVERVIEW #3 ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT #4 CASE FOR SUPPORT #5 ADVANCEMENT CALENDAR #6 PROSPECT IDENTIFICATION #7 AWARENESS EVENTS #8 PROSPECT CULTIVATION #9 SOLICITATION EVENTS #10 CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP #11 CAMPAIGN INTERVIEWS #12 SOLICITATION PHASE #13 CAMPAIGN SUCCESS


AUTHOR – OPEN LETTER FROM A FUNDRAISER

James P. LaRose, CFRE, CNC - Founder - James P. LaRose Companies Phone: (803)808-5084 Email: [email protected] James P. LaRose, CFRE, CNC known around the world as “Jimmy LaRose the Fundraiser's Fundraiser," continues to transform nonprofit executives tasked with the raising of money in a tumultuous 21st Century economy. His passion for the nonprofit sector is without bounds and his love for the leaders who serve is unparalleled. His heroes are those men and women of the

charitable world who lay down their lives daily for the hurting and the hopeless. He’s spent the last twenty years supporting executives, volunteers, staff and board members across six continents who spend themselves in service to others. Jimmy is fond of sharing with professionals that, "Money chases after ideas, and there will always be generous people who will amply support a great dream backed by a sound plan." Jimmy is the founder of the National Development Institute, Development Systems International and ProPlatforms.com. He is the author of the internationally recognized fundraising series MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP and is the designer of the MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP CLOUD, a

complete back-office for nonprofit executives. Jimmy led the design team that established Certified Nonprofit Consultant (CNC), a credentialing process that supports nonprofit executives committed to sharing their management experience with their peers. He is the co-founder of the CauseCause.com platform, an online social media community network that supports citizens of the world committed to advancing the common good. He is the co-founder of DonorScope.com, a web-based research portal that identifies philanthropists, altruists, and leaders and their capacity to give to causes for which they personally care. Jimmy has been credentialed by the National Development Institute as a Certified Nonprofit Consultant (CNC) and holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification. He is the founding President of the Western Maryland Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and is a graduate of AFP's Faculty Training Academy (FTA) and has been named by the AFP as a “Subject

Matter Expert” on the raising of money. Jimmy has also served as a specialist with the U.S. State Department's Speakers Bureau and has traveled the world working with embassies, foreign governments, and leaders to promote philanthropy and civil society in developing countries. He is a graduate of Indiana University's Executive Leadership Program, Indianapolis, IN, the National Planned Giving Institute, Memphis, TN, Tennessee Temple University, Chattanooga, TN and the Word of Life Bible Institute, Schroon Lake, NY. Rev. LaRose was ordained as minister of the gospel by the Ecumenical Church of Christ in 2010 to further support his service to the hurting and the hopeless around the world. Jimmy and his wife Dianne make their home in Columbia, SC and are blessed with three children and three grandchildren.


Development Systems International P.O Box 2675 - Columbia, SC 29202

Voice: 803-808-5084 Fax: 803-808-0537

[email protected] www.Development.net

ADDITIONAL ONLINE FUNDRAISING RESOURCES:

www.JimmyLaRose.com www.MajorGiftsRampUp.com www.ConsultingCertification.org www.NonprofitConferences.org www.DonorScope.com www.Development.net www.PAXglobal.com www.eMediaFundraising.com www.FundraisingFarmer.com www.twitter.com/jimmylarose www.facebook.com/nonprofitdevelopment

http://www.jimmylarose.com/

http://www.majorgiftsrampup.com/

http://www.consultingcertification.org/

http://www.nonprofitconferences.org/

http://www.donorscope.com/

http://www.development.net/

http://www.paxglobal.com/

http://www.emediafundraising.com/

http://www.fundraisingfarmer.com/

http://www.twitter.com/jimmylarose

http://www.facebook.com/nonprofitdevelopment

comfortable-being-a-fundraiser ?

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